WSB ROUND 13, MAGNY COURS, SUNDAY 3rd OCTOBER -ARAI RACE REPORT

Arai riders finish 2010 fighting for wins and podiums


LEON HASLAM, ALSTARE SUZUKI
Race 1: Second                 Race 2: 10th                         Championship Position: Second

“THE BEST SEASON I’VE EVER HAD!”
World Superbike runner-up Leon Haslam fought his way to second spot in front of 81,500 fans at the final round of 2010 after battling from seventh position on the first lap. Towards the end, he was locked in a dogfight with newly-crowned World Champion Max Biaggi but managed to overtake him just two corners from the end of the final lap, and make it stick. After race one, Haslam knew that another podium was a possibility despite his third-row grid position. His start was not particularly good, but he began attacking the leaders and looked on course for podium number 14. But on lap six James Toseland highsided in front of him, and he had to take to the grass to avoid hitting him. By the time, he rejoined the track, he was in 16th place, but a lap later was up to 13th. From then on in, Haslam was on a charge, but the leaders were too far ahead for him to better 10th.

“The first race was the kind of race I love; full of fighting and everything on the line. I was so happy to get second and so happy to have beaten Max. On the last lap, Max defended his line going into the final two turns, but I was determined to get the better of him and dived underneath him! That surprised him and he wasn’t able to recover in time. It was a pretty hard move, but racing’s a hard game and sometimes you just have to be tough. I was particularly happy to get on the podium because I didn’t get a very good start; I just worked away and gradually got back into contention. So, although I was on row three of the grid, I knew that a podium was also a possibility in race two. That is until, JT’s highside right in front of me! Tenth is not how I wanted the season to end, but that’s racing. It’s been a great year. I only had a couple of DNFs – one my fault and one not – and I’ve scored 14 podiums. I’m very happy with the season and would like to thank everybody at Alstare Suzuki for all their hard work and support. They made this all possible – the best season I’ve ever had!”

JONATHAN REA, TEN KATE HONDA
Race 1: 12th                         Race 2: DNS                        Championship Position: Fourth

“I KNOW THIS IS A WINNING TEAM AND I’M A WINNING RIDER…”
Jonathan Rea was forced to sit out the second race at Magny-Cours after injuries sustained in a warm-up crash exacerbated those from last weekend at Imola. Rea had confounded many his determination to contest this weekend’s final races at the 4.411km Magny-Cours circuit; a specially-constructed cast supported his fractured wrist, while twice-daily strapping by the Clinica Mobile protected his injured shoulder. However, an innocuous clamp on a water hose broke on his second lap of morning warm-up, spraying water on to the rear wheel of his Honda CBR1000RR which resulted in a high-speed crash. Rea sustained additional injuries to his right shoulder and backside. The 23-year-old from Northern Ireland was determined to fight to hold on to his third place in the championship standings and finished in 12th place in the opening 23-lap race. But the effort exhausted Rea both physically and mentally, and a joint decision with his team saw him sitting out race two.

“It’s not been a great weekend but my championship was pretty much over at Imola with the injuries I picked up there. My surgeon back in Manchester said it would be a pretty dumb idea to ride here but that it would cause no more injuries, only pain. The plastic cast they made helped to get me out there and I had quite good pace, but not for more than three or four laps. Then we had a bit of a freak accident in warm-up this morning with one of the hose clamps on the water pump coming loose and putting water all over the back tyre. It caused me to have a big high-side and I landed on my ass, which really hurt. It wasn’t so bad and they patched me up pretty well but race one just drained all my energy and concentration and I was in quite a lot of pain. The difference between third and fourth was not that much and I know this is a winning team and I’m a winning rider. I learned a lot last year, which I brought to this and a lot this year, which I’ll take into next. I’m going under the knife on Tuesday to start the repairs, so I just want to thank all the team and my fans who have made me strong.”

CAL CRUTCHLOW, STERILGARDA YAMAHA
Race 1: First                        Race 2: Second                  Championship Position: Fifth

“I’M PLEASED WITH THE END RESULTS…”
Cal Crutchlow wrapped up his year in the World Superbike Championship in style, taking two podiums with a win and a second place. The Moto GP-bound rider dealt with his penultimate WSB race in style, taking a clear victory nearly four seconds ahead of Haslam at the line. Crutchlow had dropped off pole initially to fourth but recovered quickly on the second lap, passing both Sylvain Guintoli and Michele Fabrizio in one clean move to take second behind race leader Max Biaggi. He made his move on Biaggi on lap eight; a sequence of corners saw the two fight for position before Crutchlow closed the door and moved into the lead, which he held to the end. Race two saw him drop off the line initially to sixth before moving back through to challenge Sylvain Guintoli for second, eventually passing the French rider on lap 14 and moving on to close down race leader Max Biaggi. The fastest lap of both races was taken by Crutchlow, giving him eight fastest race laps for the year, beating Carlos Checa to take the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2010: Fastest Rider of the Year. He leaves the championship in fifth place in the final standings just 13 points adrift of Checa in third. He can also claim Rookie of the Year with three race wins, six Superpoles and ten podiums.

“They were two really close and enjoyable races. All credit to Max, he rode really well. To have +0 on the board every lap is a big pressure so he did fantastically. He is the championship winner so to be battling with him at the end is good for me. Finishing fifth is not too bad; I'm Rookie of the Year as well. I came into the championship with high expectations, Yamaha has done a great job and I’m pleased with the end results. The team have been fantastic so I owe them all a big thank you along with all the sponsors and everyone that’s made it possible for us to go out there and give it our best this year.”

NORIYUKI HAGA, XEROX DUCATI
Race 1: Seventh                     Race 2: Fifth              Championship Position: Sixth

“THEY PERFORMED MIRACLES TO PREPARE MY BIKE IN TIME!”
Noriyuki Haga lost a couple of positions off the line in race one and struggled to catch faster riders ahead of him. By mid-race he had regained some of the lost ground but there was already a three-second gap between him and Jakub Smrz, ahead of him in seventh, and he was unable to catch the Czech rider who had a slightly faster pace. The Japanese rider finished race one in seventh position. Haga got away much better in race two, lying third by the end of the first lap. When Crutchlow got past Haga lost some ground but held fifth position from the third lap to the finish line, running a solitary race sandwiched between the leaders and chasing group. The final race of the year also marked the last outing for the Xerox Ducati team, as the Italian manufacturer is ending its factory support for the 2011 season.

“I was expecting a much faster second race to tell the truth. In race one I was having problems with the rear tyre and so I thought that the changes we made before the second race would improve the situation. But in race two it was difficult to push because I didn’t have great balance. Anyway, I want to thank my team. The guys have been absolutely fantastic, especially before Superpole and ahead of the morning warm-up when they performed miracles to prepare my bike in time. We close this chapter sadly, but for the Ducati Xerox Team I have an incredible respect that I will always carry with me.”

 
Jakub Smrz qualified a brilliant third, finished the first race fifth and sixth in the second. He ended the season 13th in the championship.

Well done to all Arai racers for a brave and well-fought season!

For more information on Arai helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk